Conceding that pugilistic terms best suit the comparison of the Cheney and Obama dueling speeches on defense, Toby Harnden of the Telegraph reports that former Vice President Cheney landed 10 solid punches on Obama's jaw. Here's one:
Cheney's speech wasn't stylish, there were no rhetorical flourishes and the tone was bitingly sarcastic and disdainful at times. But it was effective in many respects and Cheney showed that Obama is not invulnerable. Here are 10 of the punches he landed on the President's jaw:
1. "I've heard occasional speculation that I'm a different man after 9/11. I wouldn't say that, but I'll freely admit that watching a coordinated, devastating attack on our country from an underground bunker at the White House can affect how you view your responsibilities."
Anyone who was in New York or Washington on 9/11 (I was here in DC) was profoundly affected and most Americans understand this. Obama was, as far as I can tell, in Chicago. His response - he was then a mere state senator for liberal Hyde Park - was startlingly hand-wringing and out of step with how most Americans were felling. This statement by Cheney reminds people of the tough decisions he and Bush had to make - ones that Obama has not yet faced.
It is something to read a major press piece by someone not beset by Obama fever.
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